Look Back live-action movie's second gift includes the complete Metal Parade manga

The live-action Look Back movie is handing out a second gift for those who go to see it in theaters. It's a 64-page booklet that includes, among other contents, the complete version of Metal Parade, the manga the protagonists draw within the story.

The booklet, called Special Booklet Volume1, is given out from September 18 at all screenings of the movie: regular showings, Dolby Cinema, and Dolby Atmos. It's one gift per person and per ticket, and only while supplies last.

The movie adapts the manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto and is directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, who also wrote the script and handled the editing. It tells the story of Fujino, a fourth grader who thinks she's good at drawing, and Kyomoto, her classmate, who doesn't go to school but has an extraordinary talent for drawing. The two end up creating manga together under the pen name Fujino Kyo.

A manga that the original only hinted at

In Fujimoto's manga, only the first page and the synopsis of Metal Parade were shown. For the movie, the team created the entire work: from the name and the rough draft to the final pages. The booklet collects those 41 complete pages.

The story of Metal Parade is credited to Fujimoto himself, and the text was developed by Mixgreen, the company run by Shihei Lin, the editor of Look Back. The art is by Michinori Nishimura, who also made the yonkoma that appear in the movie.

Besides the manga, the booklet includes a conversation between Fujimoto and Kore-eda about creation, different from the one in the program, and two other interviews: one with Kore-eda and Natsuki Deguchi, who plays Fujino, and another with Aju Makita, who plays Kyomoto. There are also explanations about the production process and notes on other short stories by Fujino Kyo, such as Umi no aru Machimachi, Semi Ningen, or Mogura Shōnen.

The movie opened on September 11 in Japan. In its first three days it earned 144,126,160 yen and sold 96,605 tickets. Before its release, it screened at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where it was part of the official competition.

The first gift for the audience, an A5 visual card drawn by Fujimoto, is being handed out until September 17. It's also limited and runs out when supplies are gone.

Would you pick up the booklet if the movie comes to theaters in your country? Let us know in the comments.